Is Sen. John McCain's visit Friday morning to the Benghazi
strong-hold of Libya's rebel forces a sign of creeping escalation in the
conflict with strongman Muammar Gaddafi that may lead to eventual troop
deployment by Western nations? Impossible to know at this point, of
course, but events coinciding with McCain's visit to opposition fighters he called “my heroes” does allow the question to be raised.

As an ardent and vocal backer the anti-Gaddafi rebels, it's hardly
surprising McCain made the journey to Benghazi to demonstrate his
support of the opposition. Nor is it illogical he used that walk-about
to renew his opposition to President Barack Obama's decision to scale
back U.S. military involvement in the air campaign against Gaddafi
assets, and allow France and the UK to assume heaviest in that under
NATO's direction. But McCain's calls for the U.S. and its partners to
increase their support of and assistance to the Libyan opposition comes
in the wake of earlier announcements committing new assistance to
Libyan rebels—and which could turn out to be the first step in wider
escalation. On Thursday, Obama announced the U.S. would begin using
drones to as part of its participating in anti-Gaddafi air strikes. On
Wednesday, meanwhile, the UK, France and Italy all announced they'd be sending military officials to advise rebel commanders seeking to shape up their rag-tag fighters into an effective fighting force.